What happened
On the afternoon of 24 November 2021, a pilot operating a Thunderbird MKII, registration ZU-APS, departed from Mawala Lodge Airstrip in Limpopo province. The flight was intended to be a private training session consisting of two touch-and-go landings on runway 16.
Shortly after takeoff, while at an altitude of approximately 500 feet above ground level, the aircraft experienced a loss of lift and began drifting to the left. As the aircraft descended, the pilot searched for a suitable landing site but found no clear area ahead. Consequently, a forced landing was attempted. During the descent, the aircraft struck treetops and crashed onto a game farm located roughly 3km from the runway threshold, near the R510 road.
The impact sequence began with the nose gear hitting the ground, followed by the main landing gear, wings, and canopy making contact with the terrain. The aircraft was destroyed. The pilot sustained serious injuries and was eventually airlifted to a hospital for treatment.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's condition and the pilot's actions following the crash. The pilot reported that he had intentionally shut off the engine before impact to prevent the propeller from striking trees, hoping to mitigate the severity of the injuries.
Technical inspections of the aircraft revealed that the propeller could still rotate freely by hand. Fuel was present in the fuel lines and carburetor bowls, with approximately 10 liters remaining in each tank. Testing of the fuel showed no signs of contamination.
Review of the maintenance logs indicated that while the aircraft had only flown 2.8 hours since its last annual inspection, the inspection itself was 54 days overdue. Additionally, the pilot had significant total flight experience but only 8 hours of experience on this specific aircraft type.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the loss of lift caused by turbulent weather conditions at 500 feet AGL.
- The pilot was unable to execute a successful forced landing due to the lack of suitable terrain along the flight path.
- The aircraft's annual maintenance inspection was overdue by 54 days.